Three Brothers
by KAMfiction
Summary: Flim and Flam are in Trouble  Will they reconcile the errors of their past to save their future?
1. Chapter 2

**FLIM's POV**

The light of fire and glowing metal,

casted harsh shadows on the walls of our machine shop,

as I worked the spark of my invention.

My life, my love, and my hearts desire propelled me forward,

beyond any obstacles that life may cause.

An Idea flashed before my eyes,

along with its vision so clear, that even I could not mistake

the meaning of my very thoughts.

"YES, YES" I screamed in delight, in tune with the howling winds

This was the very night I lived for.

Inventions divine crashed in my head,

where thoughts long forgotten pressed through my hooves into

the world I dreamt to change and morph.

Brass and steel bent to the will of my manic energy and love of fire.

I delay myself not for nature nor others.

Showers of metal dance from the wheel,

as I ground every piece needed beyond the perfection of magic.

My brother worked with powers divine.

I worked with powers physical, with a body of flesh and a mind of steel.

I loved not beauty but powers in motion.

I imposed a whirl of fury and madness

upon creations of mine and works of others, faster than they knew.

Time is death and life is speed, indeed.

A speeding wheel, a blade cut sharp threatened me with their resistance

I fought metal will with strength of flesh.

"_I WILL GO ON" _I laughed to them,

noting the very indifference of machinery, and the mocking tone

that the resistant belts responded with.

Lightning outside compared not with the lightning inside my mind.

I demanded more, from my metal servants.

The servants obliged my will divine,

Presses, hammers, drills and forges all worked to my imposed goals.

Mechanical deaths were inexcusable,

against heat of friction and the slap of belts, they worked towards their graves,

graves of rust await outside for the lazy.

They have seen their future near,

the empty fields of rusted scrap, and the decayed barn of dying parts.

Awaiting my hooves to melt them in

to the latest and the greatest task that they once worked to manufacture.

"_You are mine from creation to end!"_

An older drill, made long ago

shook on the floor as it worked in the corner. A rusted bolt gave way

a sharp component flew off a side

and sliced through the air in a graceful arc, over my head, to land nearby.

The machine halted in its shame.

I noticed a trickle of warmth,

starting from behind my ear, flowing down my cheek. Blood and pain

could not stop me from my work.

Though the red drop hitting the metal piece below did cause me to pause

and think about my life and of risk.

No matter, the failed machine

was a small concern, and my near miss was of no consequence, for I live.

The machine will learn to love

it's _vacation_ in the fields outside, until I find a need for it as a piece of scrap,

to be melted into my fires and forge.

Levers and dials power all around,

remorselessly pressuring old and new components both, against their pleas

towards the creation of a profit mine.

"HA-HA" I laughed, forcing a lever forth, which caused the pipes to shake,

the belts and gears went faster still!

A clock nearby noted the hour,

morning was still far enough away. _"__Allow me to finish tonight," _I pray

The shaking walls did little good,

for the wooden shelf upon which the clock stood. It was not long afterwards,

that a crash resounded in the shop.

The clock took a single step too far,

and it took a final journey to the ground, finding a harsh end on cobbled stone

At the feet of a stamping mill too busy

to feel for the death of his little brother, who long watched from above, as the mill

toiled for a less than forgiving master.

The brass pendulum skidded to my feet,

A lasting relic of the little clock working I once made with my older brother Flip.

I shined the brass until it gleamed,

reflecting the image of my tired eyes back to me. I thought of Flip, if he thought of me,

tossing the metal into a ready forge.

The pendulum melted quickly in,

joining a puddle of brass ready to be cast into more useful parts, as goes the circle itself.

I wiped my brow from the heat of coal,

as I carefully noted the machines behaving as they should, towards the goals I engineered.

All was well in my world of fire and steam.

I wonder why I never thought before

that steam could be used with mechanics alone, to direct the forces of fire to their jobs.

My entire life I had worked this shop,

using my horn to direct the flow of steam, when I could have used the iron force of hooves

to operate the same magic upon the world.

Who needs magic, who needs power,

when earth ponies and pegasi can wield more power than the Princesses themselves!

In due time I could stop using my horn,

powering all my own machines with their mechanics alone, as they almost do but in full.

To hell with magic, fire is a superior force!

I must admit against my pride,

that by magic I have abilities to confide. I could never work my machines so fast,

without the help of so many hands.

Magic takes its toll on my energy, I do not have the stamina or strength of others,

and yet I can drive the shop well too.

I will likely not break the habit,

Magic is a convenience I do partake, for which I am somewhat grateful today.

The magic I wield will end,

the need of others to do their work with hooves or with magic alone. Freedom!

The machines hummed peacefully.

The light of the sun grew eastward,

as the very last mechanical piece of my machine was raised to its place.

I pushed it on with a tired hoof,

Looking for the sign of any errors or faults, glaring from my first masterpiece.

Magic free, simple and pure,

"_A nameplate! A nameplate!"_

I exclaimed, noting the absence of what Flam usually made for the machines.

The mill and press awaited me

I had not made a nameplate in many years, and before I knew what I had done,

the brass bore F F & F

The old logo might infuriate

the older brother of mine, Flam. For he was the one to tell Flip to chase his dreams,

alone in the world without funds.

Flam cared for the business, but he saw only waste in new ideas. My machine was already

a violation of his business rules.

Finding little in the way,

between us and finding a new place to stay, finally gave me the will to go forward.

I finally found my power,

The use of fire and steam, without magical assistance, for everypony, for anypony.

_"This might even save us."_


	2. Chapter 3

FLAM's POV

I woke up, hearing the reverberations of an incredibly loud boom shaking the interior of his bedroom. He pulled out a match, lighting a candle nearby. "All is well, I suppose" I sighed, staring blankly at the stormy scene unfolding outside.

A faint glow from another window caught my attention, he pulled himself out of his bed to look outside the window. Through the rain, he noticed that there burned a light in the garage, and I also saw the brief flash of a shadow moving inside.

_Figures he would be working this late, I _thought, pulling his weary body back under the tattered but still inviting covers.

_That pony NEVER gets a full nights rest_...

The next morning, I woke up to the rays of sunlight peeking through my window. The world around the farm was deathly silent in the mornings as it usually was

I looked out his window to the garage. The garage door was opened slightly, but I could not see inside. I called for Flim from the window, but heard nothing in response.

I walked out of my unkempt room, onto the creaky pine floors of the second story. Flim's room was neat, or at least more so than my portion of our dwelling. The crumpled drawing from yesterday fluttered gently from the breeze blowing in from a window propped slightly open.

I walked down to the kitchen, wondering if there was any food left in the pantry at all. A note fluttered in the breeze from a broken window, and I noticed a thin brass plate held down Flim's drawing of a tractor on the table. In an uncrumpled corner of the drawing there was a small note penciled in the margin.

_Dear Brother,_

_Success Today, Taking tractor to market, will return this evening._

_-Flim-_

**Flip's POV**

Good morning Flip! Chimed the 5 Am bell with a warm and mellow bong awoke me as it always did. My townhouse was rather small, not cramped, but certainly no mansion. I loved the place though, but well maintained and clean. My bedroom window overlooked a park, where I could see the rising sun greeting me for yet another wonderful day.

Downstairs, a few gears and magically powered levers began to prepare my breakfast, but I could not partake until I finished my morning routine. I swung out of bed, touching my hooves to the floor, feeling a sudden heaviness in my chest.

I pulled a charcoal gray vest out of a drawer, straightening every button perfectly to form fit, as I always did, it fit snugly, tailor made and expensive, though not extravagant. I wound a ticking gold pocket watch, checking the time against the cheerful clock on the wall. Finding both times wonderfully synchronized, I slipped the watch into my pocket, hooking the chain into a button hole on the vest.

The heaviness in my chest began to grow, I pulled a handkerchief out from my vest, coughing slightly, wiping my lips with the handkerchief I folded it neatly, averting my eyes to the window in front of me, and slipped the handkerchief back into my vest.

The sun was just beginning to peer over the horizon. "Gruss Gott, dear Sun!"

A tea kettle began to whistle downstairs, signifying that it was time for my breakfast. I walked down to the second floor, lighting the gas lamps along the way with magic. The lamps hissed softly, but burned bright and clean, making the cheerful blue walls light up nicely.

In the kitchen, a few magically powered gears were just finishing with breakfast, toast with marmalade, Fruit tea with rose hips, and a warmed muffin from the bakery next door. They were neatly arranged in a row on the counter, and I placed each piece on my tray with instinctual rhythm

I sipped my tea out of a thick white mug, admiring the flavor.

I finished breakfast, cleaning the kitchen as well with the help of a few little mechanical inventions of mine, magically charged of course. It was now 5:30, the city was still quiet, and the park was empty as always, practically a backyard for the house.

I stepped down into the store, winding clocks on the shelves and dusting the counter top lightly. Perfection, is what kept my business alive, and the Manehattan businessponies, and the elegant society all purchased fine clocks and mechanical oddities here. I wiped the inside of the store window, checking the paint on the inside for any cracks or scratches.

_J.J. Flip_

_Hardware and Clocks_

I stepped outside, sweeping the sidewalk in front of the store free of dust. I brushed off my vest slightly, checking the time on my pocketwatch with the clocks visible from the outside of the store, all accurate. To the left of the window was the wooden door to the shop, above which was a onyx sculpture of Princess Luna standing on her hind legs, standing on top of the word "CLOSED"

I looked up towards Luna, smiling at the mischievous but playful grin that the statue bore. The statue used to be that of Nightmare Moon, however due to concerns for the original statue's safety, I replaced it with a more... proper statue to fit the times.

The store and the house itself is now a Manehattan oddity, visible from even the city skyline. Manehattan, or at least around the Canterwood Park area. The last of a grand district of houses, my building now sits between tall and square buildings, corporate headquarters and famous storefronts, a last vestige of a more simple, quiet time.

And because of that, my little store is famous, a tiny but beautiful building in a city overtaken by the mediocre and the repetitive, bright red bricks and candy-striped woodwork, reminiscent of archetecture from Germaneigh. Too bad the houses nearby were destroyed, I thought, they were very very pretty here...

I took my walk, a short one, around Canterwood park, thinking deeply about the problem that had been ringing in my head since the evening before. I pictured the strange device, which made sense to me, but I could not explain it, and its purpose in the world remained ever so elusive.

A sandbox sat empty in a clean playground. I knew it would look odd, to engage in such childish activity, but I had some drive, a beautiful vision sparkling in the air above me, which needed to be expressed upon the medium of sand before it left me in its fleeting but so effervescent presence.

Like a flash of lightning and in an instant the truth was revealed. I drew with a stick on the sand the diagrams of my invention. A thousand secrets of nature which I might have stumbled upon accidentally I would have given for that one which I had wrestled from her against all odds and at the peril of my existence.

I wiped the drawing out of the sand, seeing everything so clearly that I need not think about it anymore. I rushed home, noting the time of 6:14 exactly, and rushed into the basement to create, dream, and cause life to change forever!

In my frenzy and fury of inventive power, I did not even notice the flurry of time passing by me. I heard the clocks striking 8:30 upstairs, their voices penetrating the heavy wooden floorboards to the basement where my inventions were taking form and definition against the brick floor and stone walls.

I had to keep this secret for now, away from the world. I smiled of pure joy and extacy, as the corners of my mouth began to pull upwards as they did long ago. "No you don't" I thought...

I lost control, my happiness boiled over in my mind, flowing through my heart and soul like sweet summer rain descending from the mountains I once knew, rolling over the foothills and later fields, quenching the thirsty ground as the birds took shelter.

I laughed, just a touch, enough to make my vest distend and stretch, which echoed in the little space most pleasurably. I readied my handkerchief, as the pain suddenly set in, and a small round of coughs brought my smile back to its usual flat stance.

I began to feel light headed, and this time, I was unable to stand while coughing, collapsing to the red brick floor as even more pain set in. I fumbled for my handkerchief, but grabbed a tiny silver capsule from my vest instead, opening it to look at the tiny glass vial inside.

"Doctor Eislinger's Solution" I shook my head... "not today..."

I could feel 9:00 approaching as I worked on opening the vault, slipping a magnet on a cord into the central drain, to retrieve a somewhat rusty steel rod from deep below. I counted bricks, from the workbench 53 left, second row from the bottom, arriving at a brick that felt solid.

I hit the brick on the right side with my hoof, which caused the brick to click inwards, and swing out of the wall, revealing a hole just large enough for the metal rod. At the flattened end of the rod there were ticks engraved on the metal, like a clock face.

11:54 Right, 6:20 Left, 3:22 right, then Push!

The bricks next to me pushed away from the wall, just enough for me to hook my hoof around. I slipped my work into the vault, piece by piece, between stacks of gold and silver stock for watch cases and other... oddities.

The clock upstairs struck 9:00. The chime was high and shrill, and its final strike was a trill, which occurred at exactly the same moment when the decorative lights inside the store lit themselves, burning brightly with brilliant white gas-fueled light.

The statue of Luna retracted from the top of the door, quickly replacing itself with a similar white marble statue of Celestia, standing above the word "OPEN For Business"

A bright green unicorn filly stopped by the store window, peering inside my shop, admiring one of the clocks in the storefront. A brass statue of an ancient sort of pony, almost like Celestia without wings stood on her hind legs in a defiant but not threatening pose. In her hooves, she held a rocking pendulum, with the clock face built in.

The filly seemed to ponder as to how the clock could work like it did, the pendulum being larger than anything else. She licked her lips, looking upwards at the candy on a shelf behind me. I sold the candy for a loss, no matter, the children love it and it brought business sometimes.

"One Caramel Cube please!" she chimed, dropping a shiny coin on the counter. I smiled, retrieving a jar from the shelf, with my magic, pulling out the largest caramel cube I could find, wrapped neatly in teal blue tissue paper.

She gave a tiny courtesy, almost an odd level of respect for children in the city now. I saw her in my store before, she always seemed curious as to the clocks but never asked.

"Wait" I asked, "What is your name?"

"They call me Blaze" She smiled, "I like your clocks, they sound different than all other clocks around Manehattan... that way, I can tell where they came from!"

I smiled, astonished... watching the green mare as she looked up at the clocks around the store, tapping her hoof lightly on the floor in tune with the beat of the grandfather clock nearby.

Something was different about this little filly, something I had never seen before. She was effervescent and happy, just looking at all the devices on the walls of my store. I walked over to her, motioning her to follow me to the counter.

Realizing the counter was much too high for her, I lifted a chair with my magic, placing it for her to get a better view down, and I placed the workings of a broken pocketwatch and a set of screwdrivers before her.

She smiled, leaning slightly over the counter as I began to point to all the little components which went together in the watch, as I began to take little parts off before her. The watch was one of my first attempts to make a movement, but one that I could also stand to see it come to an untimely end. A watchmaker's first try never runs right anyway, or so I was told by the previous owner of the shop.

The mare kept looking at my hooves as I took the watch carefully apart, piece by piece, laying each part neatly out on a soft leather pad.

"And finally, this is the watch frame, which holds everything together, it always goes on first and comes off last."

The filly smiled, preparing to jump off the counter to continue on her way. I saw this, and suddenly a thought came to me, for the fun of teaching my trade. I handed her the screwdrivers, and passed her an eye-lope which was too small for me.

She looked at me quizzically, and I nodded to her, looking down to the disassembled watch. Her eyes grew wide, excited but fearful of breaking something, like the delicate ruby jewels or the finely machined metal gears.

She fixed it...

I don't know how, but the unicorn picked up my old tools like they were extensions of her hooves. Parts were delicately lifted with a feeble but steady magical beam, and I occasionally lending a hoof in to stabalize something or add an appropriate drop of oil.

The filly kept going, remembering the locales for every part, and even how each jewel was set by me when I originally made the watch. She looked at me, as she tightened the final screw, smiling at my gaze of astonishment and wonder.

She closed the back of the watch, kissing the case gently, and giving it a tiny magical zap. In an instant the watch began to tick, more evenly than ever before. It even sounded like it was in proper time.

The green filly turned her head around, as if something bothered her on her legs. It was then when I noticed it, a fresh cutie mark, two gears and a spring. She jumped excitedly, beaming back at me.

I motioned to the little silver watch "You've earned it, you can keep it. Just take good care of it and bring it to me if you ever need help!"

The filly giggled, picking up her new watch with all the care she could handle. She bounced out of the store, new talent, new watch, lifetime customer... Manehattan city was just that wonderful sometimes.

**Clyde Pie's POV**

The town market was never far from our family farm, though Blinkie, Inkie, and Sue declined to join me in my short walk in order to bake pies for guests this afternoon. I pushed my black hat up higher on my brow, thinking about the short walk into town over dirt and gravel roads.

_I could use a change of pace, something different, something new._ I thought, watching the weathered barbed wire fencing pass by my sides. Rock farming was never a truly exciting career choice, though it footed the bills. The farmers market approached from a distance, and I began to wonder where the fun in my life disappeared to.

Pinkie Pie...

She could make a day brighter somehow... I smiled, thinking about her journey off towards a faster-paced life. She wrote letters occasionally, and we replied, but she couldn't work her magic of cheer through a letter like she could in person.

_It would be nice to visit her sometime,_ I thought... _I could use a break, and I am sure she would like to see her sisters too. If only I had the ability to..._

"Hello Clyde!" A fast paced voice chimed in from a booth. I looked to my left, finding Flim, without his brother, standing in front of some sort of machine, concealed by a large canvas tarp.

Flim jumped in front of me, "Ever wanted to do in a day all the work of a year? Look no further because the answer is really quite near!"

I looked the unicorn straight in the eye, I knew his tricks, but I was curious about the invention he was hiding underneath the drab tan cloth.

"Cut the crap, Flim, what are you trying to sell." I stated wishing to get a straight answer from the sales pony for once.

"Ah, a Stallion who cuts to the chase, and chases to the cut! I like that and I will not take your day, but..."

I looked Flim straight in the eye, turning my hooves as if I was about to walk away from his stand. Flim noticed immediately, swinging over to the tarp, revealing a gray metal machine.

"Behold! I bring you the PlowMaster 3000, a revolutionary new Tractor" Flim exclaimed, shining the F F & F nameplate on the front of the machine. "With this you can do the work of a month in an hour, with the pulling strength of over 400 ponies!"

Flim motioned me to sweep to the side of the machine. I stared at its intricate workings, which were not ornately decorated unlike other machinery the brothers used to produce, but were instead very heavy-duty. Still, Flim worked style between the industrial designs, making the axles of the flywheels bend to the shape of an S, and making external steam pipes out of finely polished brass.

A smokestack stuck out the front of the large boiler in front, featuring a single steam whistle. To the sides of the tractor were two heavy flywheels, currently motionless, which were connected between the steam cylinders on either side, and to a large transmission to the rear wheels.

The two front wheels were connected by their own axle to a single mounting point, and two pairs of chains connected the axle to a box below the cabin. I looked carefully at the wheels, noticing that the rubber on the outside of the wheel rim was not like other cart wheels I had seen before. Flim walked to me, kicking the wheel, which made a strange pinging sound.

"Air filled rubber tires for superior comfort and traction!" He exclaimed proudly, then motioning towards the two pairs of heavy springs holding the axles away from the body, along with four mysterious tube-like devices. "Springs and pressurized struts for a smooth ride!"

We both swung into the operators cabin, and I immediately placed my hooves on the dark wooden steering wheel. The wheel fit my hooves incredibly well. I rested my foreleg on a spoke of the wheel, just laying the weight of my hoof upon the spoke. The wheel moved from that pressure, and I stared back at Flim, ready to berate him for his loose steering wheel.

Flim smiled, motioning for me to poke my head out the side of the cabin. I did, watching with great surprise as the machine steered with the slightest pressure from the hooves.

"The wagon my kids pull around does not steer so easily!" I exclaimed, watching a warm smile grow on Flim's face.

"Steam-assist steering, light as a feather but responsive and precise makes your work that much easier!"

Flim picked up a shovelful of coal with his magic, throwing it into the firebox in front of him. He motioned for me to join him in the cabin, which was protected from the elements with a metal roof and a glass windshield. Flim started a fire in the firebox, which instantly warmed the cabin.

I stared into the fire, thinking about the great pull I was feeling away from my simple, technology free existence. The only thing that pulled me back towards the reality of hard labor and sweat was the sudden blast of heat from the fire nearby. I wiped my brow, noticing Flim pulling a lever next to me with his hoof.

Two fans began to spin, releasing a small amount of steam into the cabin from their workings. Cool air rushed from the outside towards our faces, which provided welcome relief from the oppressive heat from the fire. I smiled, imagining that my work could be accomplished behind the comfort of the great machine.

I put my hooves over the controls, levers and valves, acquiring a feeling and respect for the machine itself. Everything about the tractor was more simple than previous creations, and yet the machine felt comfortable to sit in, and the placement of every component was elegantly well thought out.

"I... Like it" I smiled, noticing Flim nodding back to me. He responded "You have not seen anything yet!"

The governor in front began to pick up speed, indicating that there was sufficient pressure in the boiler by spinning its brass weights into the air. Glass fronted gauges displayed the level of water in the boiler. I noticed that every lever was labeled with a stamped brass piece with blocky but easy to read levers.

"The tractor is really quite simple to operate, Clyde, The reverser lever controls efficiency of power, and the throttle controls how much power comes out. The reverser acts as a gearshift, start in the strongest forward or reverse position, and make your way towards zero when you acquire momentum."

Flim passed me a large book, entirely hoofwritten, filled with instructions and diagrams. He motioned to the controls, smiling.

"This manual will explain everything you need to know about the tractor, from operation instructions to instructions for how to repair or re-manufacture any part that may break!"

Flim placed his hooves on the "Reverser" lever of his machine, pulling it to +99. He then motioned me to pull the throttle likewise.

I smiled, pulling the throttle until I could feel the great strength behind the tractor's steam cylinders pulling me forward. Jets of steam shot out the sides of the tractor as it made its first strokes. The great flywheels on the sides of the tractor began to pick up speed.

"The cylinder cocks are automatic, to prevent any disaster, this was my very own design! You only have to worry about feeding it coal, and monitoring water levels with these valves here. One can also use the tractor flywheels to drive a belt by disengaging the wheels, OR use the shaft power output controls here to drive machinery while in motion!"

I needed no further demonstrations, I could feel the power behind the lumbering beast as it moved me for the first time. I understood that It would require my life and ways to change, but the great machine could work wonders for me and my business.

"I'll Take it!"


End file.
